The story of Registan

For centuries this square was the beating heart of Samarkand: the centre of the Timurid Empire and later of the city's trade, learning and ceremonies. People gathered here to hear royal proclamations, announced by blasts on enormous copper pipes, and to witness public executions. Today three madrasas frame the square.

The oldest is the Ulugh Beg Madrasa, built in 1417–1420, where Ulugh Beg himself gave lectures and the great Persian poet Jami studied. Much later came the Sherdar Madrasa, built in 1619–1636, whose portal shows tigers with a rising sun on their backs, and then the Tilla-Kori Madrasa of 1646–1660, which also served as a grand mosque, its main hall richly gilded. Together they rank among the finest achievements of Islamic architecture in Central Asia, with soaring iwans, turquoise domes and intricate mosaic tilework.

Just behind the Sherdar stands the Chorsu trading dome of 1785, whose Persian name means "crossing roads"; today it serves as an art gallery.